Tim looked at her strangely. He couldn’t believe this woman was supposed to have been a ruler with his father. “Does it really matter how they do it? It only matters that they are doing it and that it let them kill my parents. I think those two were sent to kill you,” he said, pointing in the direction of her house and the way the people had run.
“We should try the door now.” Anna said from behind her mother.
They left the safety of the trees and walked back to the door. When they reached it, before going inside, they all looked at Anna’s mother. “It’s ok. It’s safe now,” she said.
Tim started walking around the edge of the room, pushing on the walls, waiting for his had to go through. Anna’s dad stopped him. “You don’t need to do that, son,” he said, pointing to the far corner of the room.
Tim did a double take. Glowing on the wall were the words “The Way”. He looked as Anna’s dad, surprised. “It’s what I do,” he said shrugging, “I can reveal things that can’t be seen.”
Tim went to the corner, the glowing words fading as he got closer. He reached out toward the wall and felt the sort of familiar tingling sensation on his arm. He pulled his arm back and held out his hand to Anna. She took it and then held her hand out to her parents, who were already holding hands. “Are you sure this will work?” her mother asked.
“No,” was all Tim answered.
She nodded and took her daughter’s hand. Tim led the way and through the wall they went.
The room on the other side, although the same, was set up like a meeting area. There were tables and chairs, and a few chalk boards scattered around the room. Tim looked at one of the boards. It was a crudely drawn map. As he looked at it he realized it led the way from the building to his house. He looked at another board, which also showed a map and led the way to Anna’s house. “This must be where the Rebels met to discuss killing my parents,” he said angrily.
He was so mad, at the thought that someone planned to kill his parents, that before he could stop himself, he picked up a chair and threw it at the chalk board. The chair clattered against the board, and then crashed to the floor. The sound echoed off the stone floor of the old building. “We need to get out of here now,” Anna’s mother said.
With that, they heard footsteps, running towards the room. Anna’s father pointed to a door behind him. “Through there!” he yelled.
They all ran through the door. Tim was closing the door behind him when he said the first person enter the room. He gasped. It looked just like the Social Services man who had been leading the searches for him. He spun around to tell Anna and her parents this new detail, but they were nowhere to be found. “Tim!”
Anna’s head popped up from outside a window across the room. “Come on! Hurry!” she yelled.
Tim ran to the window and leaped through it, just as the door was opening behind him. He kept going, following Anna’s parents, who were leading the way. They seemed to know where they were headed, which made sense, since they had grown up in Snillotia. After running for what seemed like forever to Tim, who was out of breath and desperately wanted a drink of water, they reached the edge of a village.
Anna’s parents stopped behind a small building. “This was a friend’s house when I was young. I hope she still lives here, or we’re in trouble!” Anna’s mom said, as she started banging on the door.
The door opened quickly. “What?” the woman who opened the door seemed annoyed, then her eyes widened, “Get inside now!”
She rushed them all inside. “It’s you!” Anna exclaimed, then she looked at Tim, “She’s the one who gave me the note!”
The woman looked at Anna. “Yes, I did, and you figured it out. You brought your parents back with you, as I hoped you would figure out you could.”
She looked at Tim. “I’m so sorry about your parents.”
Tim looked at the ground, nodding his thanks. “Einna, Tre,” she said looked at Anna’s parents, “It’s so good to see you again.”
“I thought your name was Anna, well like Anna,” Tim said to Anna’s mother, confused.
She smiled. “It is. I’ve always been called Einna so I wouldn’t be confused with my mother. It’s a nickname. I used it in the backwards world as well. I was called Annie there.”
“And I was called Robert in the backwards world. My name is Trebor. Here everyone has always called me Tre.” Anna’s father added.
Tim started to get it. All the names were backwards. “So, my mom’s name was Ellen. That means here, people knew her as Nelle?”
The woman nodded. “You are Tim, but here, really your name is Mit, just like your father and his father and his father, and so on.”
“I’d rather be called Tim,” he said.
“That’s your choice,” the woman said, “And I am called Asilla. Now that all the introductions are out of the way, we need to go. There is much to learn, and they are waiting.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Asilla led them through her small house. As she was about to open the front door, she paused. “The four of you will be recognized immediately,” she said, looking at Einna and Tre, “Yes, I still recognized you the moment I saw you, even though you are much older than me now. I can tell more years have passed for you than they have, here. It’s been just five years since you left, but five years is more than enough with the Rebels in control. They’ve destroyed everything! They will tell you everything, but first, we need to change your appearances for
